1. Technical Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of integrated circuits, more particularly to integrated circuits equipped with waveguides for the propagation of radio waves, for example at frequencies above 1 GHz and possibly up to several tens or several hundreds of GHz.
2. Description of Related Art
As known per se, an integrated circuit comprises a substrate, either a bulk substrate or a substrate on an insulator, in which are formed active parts, especially transistors, and a set of interconnections on top of the substrate. The set of interconnections comprises a plurality of metallization levels, each provided with conducting lines lying in a plane, and a plurality of dielectric layers alternating with the metallization layers and penetrated by conducting vias providing electrical connection between two adjacent metallization levels. This type of integrated circuit is designed for the transmission of electrical signals and is ill suited for the transmission of electromagnetic waves.
There is a need to be able to form a waveguide having a low signal attenuation constant and an advanced technology integrated circuit.